KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 — History subject needs to be improved by portraying more stories on national figures and heroes to foster and enhance the spirit of patriotism.
Army veteran Capt (rtd) V.Panirchellvum said the move would help forge the Malaysian identity, especially among the younger generation and instilling the spirit of nationalism and love for the country.
“Today’s generation has never been through all the ‘hardships’ faced in the 1950s to 1970s, resulting in a lack of patriotism in them.
“So, we need to emphasise the importance of the subject and modifying the content so that this group knows the contributions and sacrifices made by figures and heroes from various races in the country,” he told Bernama recently.
This would strengthen the unity among the multi-racial community in the country, especially the younger generation, and they would not be shaken by the attempts of certain parties to divide them, he said.
Panirchellvum, 67, was awarded the Panglima Gagah Berani (PGB) medal on June 7, 1978 after a courageous attack on communist terrorists together with his team in Op Pagar on Feb 14, 1977 in Ayer Kala, Gerik, Perak.
Recalling the incident, Panirchellvum, who was second lieutenant from Platoon 8, 3rd Battalion of the Royal Ranger Regiment (3RRD), was assigned to lead four other personnel to ambush communist terrorists in Op Pagar.
The team, comprising Corporal Kamarudin Abdullah, Lance Corporal Hasan Awang, Ranger Tahir Muhamad and Ranger Rusip anak Ngadek, received information that the terrorist group was planning to take food supplies in Kampung Baru Ayer Kala, near Sungai Perak.
“The five of us, dubbed the killer group, disguised as policemen wearing Field Force uniforms and were taken to the police camp in Ayer Kala for the final briefing before walking for more than an hour to Kampung Ayer Kala,” he said.
Upon arriving at 7.45 pm, they placed the Claymore mines at the location before waiting for the enemy to pass through the area.
They caught glimpses of the enemies, about 10 to 15 of them, and a shootout began.
“At that time, I only had M36 hand grenades. When the sound of their movement got closer, I pulled the pin until I could no longer hear any sound from the enemy,” he said.
Three communist terrorists including their leader were killed in the operation and one of them was arrested.
Weapons and ammunitions as well as grenades and six backpacks containing food and equipment were seized from them.
Meanwhile, historian Prof Datuk Dr Ramlah Adam also agreed that the History textbook should be rewritten by adding clearer facts and highlighting the story of the nation’s freedom fighters.
Taking the example of the new edition of the Form Four History textbook, she said that it was focusing more on the history of foreign countries.
“We find that in an issue such as the independence process, many outside figures are given priority, while the storytelling about local figures is not clear and not focused.
“The place where we should discuss the history of our country has become a place to learn the history of other countries. For me this is not good. How do we want to instill the spirit of patriotism when the content of our history (taught in schools) is so limited,” she told Bernama.
Ramlah suggested that the history of the national security forces such as the police and army be included in the History subject to appreciate their dedication and sacrifices.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency